Systems and methods for a thermal management control valve with a louver plate assembly

Abstract

A thermal management control valve includes a first housing defining a first fluid chamber, a second housing coupled to the first housing and defining a second fluid chamber, a rotary actuator having a drive shaft that defines a drive axis, a cam coupled to the drive shaft and having a cam slot, and a louver plate sealed between the first housing and the second housing and having a plurality of louver slots extending through the louver plate along a louver flow direction. The louver plate is coupled to the cam slot so that rotation of the cam selectively moves the louver plate along a radial direction relative to the drive axis. The radial direction is perpendicular to the louver flow direction.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A thermal management control valve for an electric vehicle, the thermal management control valve comprising:
 a first housing defining a first fluid chamber; 
 a second housing coupled to the first housing and defining a second fluid chamber; 
 a rotary actuator including a drive shaft, the drive shaft defining a drive axis; 
 a cam coupled to the drive shaft and including a cam slot that extends circumferentially around the drive axis, wherein the cam slot extends circumferentially around a majority of the cam, wherein the cam slot defines a first portion at a first circumferential position and a second portion at a second circumferential position, and wherein the first portion extends a first radial distance from the drive axis and the second portion extends a second radial distance from the drive axis, the first radial distance being less than the second radial distance; and 
 a louver plate sealed between the first housing and the second housing and including a plurality of louver slots extending through the louver plate along a louver flow direction, wherein the louver plate is coupled to the cam slot so that rotation of the cam selectively moves the louver plate along a radial direction relative to the drive axis, the radial direction being perpendicular to the louver flow direction. 
 
     
     
       2. The thermal management control valve of  claim 1 , wherein the louver flow direction is parallel to a back pressure direction defined between the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber. 
     
     
       3. The thermal management control valve of  claim 1 , wherein the first housing includes a first port in fluid communication with the first fluid chamber, and the second housing includes a second port in fluid communication with the second fluid chamber. 
     
     
       4. The thermal management control valve of  claim 3 , wherein the first port defines a first port axis that is parallel to a second port axis of the second port. 
     
     
       5. The thermal management control valve of  claim 3 , wherein the first port defines a first port axis that is perpendicular to a second port axis of the second port. 
     
     
       6. The thermal management control valve of  claim 1 , further comprising a second louver plate coupled to a second cam slot of the cam, wherein the louver plate and the second louver plate both include a louver surface that extends in a direction perpendicular to the louver flow direction, and wherein the louver surfaces are coplanar. 
     
     
       7. The thermal management control valve of  claim 1 , wherein the drive shaft is offset from a bonding interface formed between the first housing and the second housing. 
     
     
       8. The thermal management control valve of  claim 1 , further comprising a first plate seal arranged between the louver plate and the first housing, wherein the first plate seal includes a first plurality of seal slots extending through the first plate seal. 
     
     
       9. The thermal management control valve of  claim 8 , wherein the louver plate selectively moves along the radial direction to (a) align each of the plurality of louver slots with a respective one of the first plurality of seal slots so that fluid flow is allowed between the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber, or (b) misalign the plurality of louver slots and the first plurality of seal slots so that each of the plurality of louver slots is blocked by the first plate seal and fluid flow is inhibited between the first fluid chamber and the second fluid chamber. 
     
     
       10. The thermal management control valve of  claim 8 , further comprising a second plate seal arranged between the louver plate and the second housing, wherein the second plate seal includes a second plurality of seal slots that are aligned with the first plurality of seal slots along the louver flow direction. 
     
     
       11. The thermal management control valve of  claim 10 , further comprising a first biasing element biased against the first plate seal and a second biasing element biased against the second plate seal, wherein the first biasing element and the second biasing element are press-in-place seals. 
     
     
       12. A thermal management control valve for an electric vehicle, the thermal management control valve comprising:
 a first housing; 
 a second housing coupled to the first housing at a bonding interface formed between the first housing and the second housing; 
 a rotary actuator including a drive shaft defining a drive axis, wherein the drive shaft is offset from the bonding interface so that the bonding interface extends linearly past the drive shaft; 
 a cam coupled to the drive shaft and including a cam slot that extends circumferentially around the drive axis, wherein the cam slot extends circumferentially around a majority of the cam; and 
 a louver plate sealed between the first housing and the second housing and including a pin and a plurality of louver slots extending through the louver plate, wherein the pin extends into the cam slot so that rotation of the cam rotates the cam slot relative to the pin and linearly move the louver plate to selectively allow or inhibit fluid flow through the plurality of louver slots. 
 
     
     
       13. The thermal management control valve of  claim 12 , further comprising a second louver plate coupled to a second cam slot of the cam, wherein the louver plate and the second louver plate both include a louver surface that defines a surface normal that extends in a direction perpendicular to both a drive axis defined along the drive shaft and a radial direction along which the louver plate linearly moves, and wherein the louver surfaces are coplanar. 
     
     
       14. The thermal management control valve of  claim 12 , further comprising a first plate seal arranged between the louver plate and the first housing, and a second plate seal arranged between the louver plate and the second housing, wherein the first plate seal and the second plate seal both include a plurality of seal slots. 
     
     
       15. The thermal management control valve of  claim 14 , wherein the rotation of the cam linearly moves the louver plate to selectively (a) allow fluid flow through the plurality of louver slots by aligning each of the plurality of louver slots with a respective pair of the plurality of seal slots, or (b) inhibit fluid flow through the plurality of louver slots by blocking the plurality of louver slots with the first plate seal and the second plate seal. 
     
     
       16. A thermal management control valve for an electric vehicle, the thermal management control valve comprising:
 a first housing; 
 a second housing coupled to the first housing; 
 a rotary actuator including a drive shaft, the drive shaft defining a drive axis; 
 a cam coupled to the drive shaft and including a cam slot that extends circumferentially around the drive axis, wherein the cam slot extends circumferentially around a majority of the cam, wherein the cam slot defines a first portion at a first circumferential position and a second portion at a second circumferential position, and wherein the first portion extends a first radial distance from the drive axis and the second portion extends a second radial distance from the drive axis, the first radial distance being less than the second radial distance; and 
 a plurality of louver plate assemblies coupled to the cam and arranged between the first housing and the second housing, each of the plurality of louver plate assemblies includes a louver plate with a louver slot and a louver surface defining a surface normal that extends in a direction perpendicular to both the drive axis and a radial direction defined relative to the drive axis, 
 wherein the rotary actuator is configured to rotate the cam to a predefined rotary position so that the louver plates move along the radial direction to selectively allow or inhibit fluid flow through the louver slots, and wherein each of the louver surfaces is coplanar. 
 
     
     
       17. The thermal management control valve of  claim 16 , wherein each of the plurality of louver plate assemblies further includes:
 a first seal plate arranged between the louver plate and the first housing; and 
 a second seal plate arranged between the louver plates and the second housing, wherein each of the first seal plates and the second seal plates includes a seal slot. 
 
     
     
       18. The thermal management control valve of  claim 17 , wherein the louver plates move along the radial direction to selectively (a) allow fluid flow through the louver slots by aligning each of the louver slots with a respective pair of the seal slots, or (b) inhibit fluid flow through the louver slots by blocking each of the louver slots with a respective pair of the first seal plates and the second seal plates.